Ranger, Ga. ? A manhunt across the Southeast ended late Thursday when a tip led authorities to a jealous ex-husband who allegedly killed three former in-laws and his infant daughter, then fled with three girls.

The girls were found safe, and the suspect shot himself in the face after a police chase on Interstate 75 near the Tennessee line. Authorities said he was hospitalized in critical condition.

Jerry William Jones, 31, is accused of shooting the former in-laws to death and strangling his infant daughter Wednesday before fleeing with the girls in a stolen sport utility vehicle. Two of the girls are his daughters; the other is a former stepdaughter.

The suspect has a long criminal history, including convictions for burglary and auto theft.

Jones called his ex-wife, Melissa Peeler, late Wednesday and told her of the killings, adding that he would “start killing the kids one by one” if she alerted authorities, said his former brother-in-law, David O’Donnell.

Peeler had left the children with her parents and sister before leaving for Oregon to visit her boyfriend over the Christmas holidays. She notified police after getting the phone call.

Peeler’s parents, Tom and Nola Blaylock, were found shot to death in one home. In the other house, authorities found Jones’ former sister-in-law, Georgia Bradley, shot to death, while Jones’ 10-month-old daughter by Peeler, Harley, was apparently strangled.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said the crime scenes indicated that the killer was “very methodical.”

“This wasn’t quick. He clearly took his time,” Bankhead said.

After a public alert was issued, police in Whitfield County got a tip that Jones’ vehicle had been spotted headed north on Interstate 75 toward Tennessee.

Deputies spotted the car and saw the children, but Jones refused to pull over, GBI director Vernon Keenan said. Jones drove a short way off the interstate when a state trooper bumped the car’s rear, crashing it into a telephone pole.

The 10-year-old got out, and officers saw Jones slump in the front seat. They pulled the other children out, one of them covered in Jones’ blood. Jones and the girls were found about 50 miles north of where the killings occurred 24 hours earlier.